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Post by Kelathi on Jan 26, 2021 17:30:21 GMT
Kasumi had pulled away discreetly as Naoki embraced his brother, a small smile on her face at the show of brotherly love. She approached the window again, as always, her choice of distraction. When she turned back to them, leaning up against the window frame, she was drawn to Ryo’s face. He looked thoughtful. At one moment, confused, the next, wary. Did this mean he had finally realised what all this meant? When he had first awoken, it was clear that his memories were scattered. Now, she was not so sure. What had he recalled? If he did not remember the revelation of Karyuudo’s unmasking, Naoki would soon inform him. There was no avoiding it, but even so, that did not mean that she would not try to do just that.
Ryo was safe, his wounds had been bound, the new inhibitor was working, and now he was awake. Despite having been practically glued to his side for so many nights, she was now eager to leave, to allow Ryo to recover properly, and him and his brother some privacy. “I’ll leave you two to it.” She announced gently, making stark her intention to leave, hoping, probably in vain, to avoid the inevitable questions.
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Post by Red Irish Dragon on Jan 26, 2021 20:02:12 GMT
Ryo was confused and wary, looking over Kasumi a few times as he struggled to remember. Things were still blurry, still needed piecing together, but he had other things that were more important in that moment. Including Naoki, not crying but still keeping his face buried in his brother’s embrace, as if having to convince himself that things were ok once again.
At Kasumi’s words, however, Ryo’s attention was brought back to the present moment more fully, looking up at her as she began to go. He hesitated, not moving from his position, his past experiences screaming at him to just let her go, that things would be better if he stayed with just those two that he trusted, Naoki and Masahiro.
“Kasumi… stay. Please.”
Ryo couldn’t make eye contact with Kasumi as he suddenly begged her to stay, the near panic in his voice brought on by the thought of her leaving. It had the same pain he’d shown every time she had left before, a sense of loneliness that he couldn’t help, that was only ever eased by his small family.
Questions could wait. Ryo just wanted his family there for now.
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Post by Kelathi on Jan 26, 2021 22:44:46 GMT
Kasumi had paused, the distress in Ryo’s voice taking her aback. Despite her desire to leave before having to face any questions, as well as to generally just get her thoughts in order… she found she couldn’t. Not when he’d asked her to stay with that tone of voice. "If... that is what you wish. Then I'll stay." She heard herself saying.
***
It felt strange. Kasumi couldn’t help but feel as if she were intruding. She’d grown used to the presence of very few people, ironic considering Ryo had been the same, unbeknownst to her. Despite how much she now knew about Ryo and Naoki, it had all happened in such a short time that in many ways, they still felt like strangers.
She'd said that she would stay, but had also insisted she fix them some tea, so that was what she was doing now. She needed some room to breathe, and it helped her to feel less like she was intruding, whilst simultaneously giving the two some privacy. The scent of the tea that Jiro had given her was comforting in it’s familiarity, grounding her somewhat, as she considered the events of the last few days.
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Post by Red Irish Dragon on Jan 28, 2021 4:02:35 GMT
It was after Kasumi had left them alone that Naoki seemed to finally be done convincing himself that Ryo was ok, pulling back to rub at red eyes. Ryo repositioned to lean his back against the wall at the head of the bed, Naoki taking a seat beside him, letting out a heavy, tired sigh.
“Thanks again,” Ryo said, softly, Naoki looking at him with understanding. The first thing Ryo had done when Naoki had told him about the Noroi and the inhibitor was thank you for saving him from it. The tone this time included an apology for needing Naoki’s fix yet again. The teenager didn’t need an apology. But he did have a few questions that needed answers.
“So… you fought alongside Karyuudo.”
Ryo sighed, closing his eyes as if in pain. Naoki knew it was a sigh of resignation, knowing there was no going back and reversing his decision… or the decision to make a decision. “Yea,” was all he said in reply.
“You fought against Arashi.”
“Yea.”
“Who has… lightning powers?”
“Uh… yea.”
“Mm… and… you’ve been dating Karyuudo.”
“Ye- wait-“
Ryo immediately bristled and smacked his brother for the sudden reversal in topic, Naoki laughing softly at having caught his brother. It answered the unspoken question - Kasumi was Karyuudo. And Naoki had already argued that Ryo’s time with Kasumi thus far counted as two dates.
Well… maybe more, depending on if a date also counted if one or the other was wearing a mask.
“Do you… think she knew? Beforehand?”
Naoki looked at Ryo, shrugging. “I dunno… I mean, she could have looked under the helmet…”
“No, the helmet wasn’t removed back then.”
“Well, she did patch up your arm after shooting you… wait, y’know she looked a little weird for a minute after looking at your tattoo? Y’know, when you were having tea at the market.”
Naoki paused as Ryo considered then seemed to wince, sighing softly. “Ryo… no. I don’t think she only came around because she knew who you were,” Naoki argued, recognizing the familiar lonely paranoia set in. “She likes you. And not just because you can teleport.”
“So why didn’t she just tell me? Why the games as Karyuudo?”
“Would you have believed her if she said she was the great and mighty and male warrior?”
Ryo paused, then shook his head a little. “I don’t know,” he admitted; he’d sparred with Kasumi before, he knew she had talent. But Karyuudo was always identified as a man… it took consideration to twist it back the other way. Naoki patted his shoulder reassuringly, but said something less so. “Dude. You have to stop mistrusting everyone who comes into our lives.”
The look Naoki got was slow, looking up at him even as Ryo’s jaw tightened. “Ok. Who else?”
“Who else what?”
“The ONLY reason you’d tell me I have to stop, and not that I should stop, is because more than just Kasumi knows.”
Naoki sighed, this time short and curt, pursing his lips. “I think she said his name was JIro. He patched you up.”
Ryo pulled from the wall, incredulous. “You don’t even know?!” he asked, voice rising a little in panic. Naoki motioned for him to keep his voice down, glancing down the hall towards the kitchen. “He knew who Kasumi was. If he was going to turn on anyone, don’t you think he’d turn on the more lucrative prize?”
Again Ryo leaned against the wall, landing a little harder than intended as he looked away, every worse case scenario obviously playing in his head. “Look,” Naoki went on, again becoming the voice of reason. “You and Kasumi are both hurt, and pretty badly. You need to rest for a few days. Then we can start asking questions. So let me go get lunch and-”
“Noroi?”
It was Naoki’s turn to nearly wince when he realized the question, eyes dropping. Had he asked her? Not directly… but her lack of answer had been answer enough.
“She… no.”
Ryo’s eyes fell again, Naoki leaning in for another hug, his eyes beginning to sting afresh.
Another dead end.
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Post by Kelathi on Jan 28, 2021 22:09:21 GMT
This time, Kasumi had refused to let Naoki prepare dinner alone. Despite her injuries, she was anxious to be doing something, pretty much anything by this point, and it had soon become clear that Naoki did not have just Ryo’s stubbornness to contest with. She was a dab hand at cooking, after having to care for herself all these years, and before then, looking after both herself and Yuudai. She enjoyed the mindless task of chopping vegetables, happily letting Naoki take the lead if it meant he’d allow her to participate. She had to admit that he wasn’t too bad himself, he’d cooked for her a few times now and she had no complaints.
It was ironic. Kasumi had been immovable before, doggedly determined to stay by Ryo’s side, as if her very absence might result in him taking a turn for the worst. But now he was awake, she seemed eager to avoid him. Perhaps it was because she was avoiding the inevitable questions, or maybe it was something deeper. Like Ryo, Kasumi was finding it uncomfortable having been unmasked, her identity known to seemingly so many, now. She had to keep reminding herself that other than Ryo and Naoki and of course Yuudai, who were trustworthy, only Arashi had seen. A sight that he had taken to the grave. Even so, she couldn’t help the sensation of feeling like a stricken deer in the headlights of a car, exposed and vulnerable.
But there was something else that she was avoiding.
Ryo had sacrificed himself for her. She didn’t want to think of it in that way, but it was true. He’d thrown himself in between her and danger, without a thought for himself. The thought was humbling, and brought up all sorts of feelings, ones she fought against, citing them as ‘distracting’ and ‘unhelpful’. She wasn’t sure how to respond to this, how to face the man and her feelings, and part of her worried he would be able to read her like a book, to see the feelings she was trying so hard to push down and ignore.
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Post by Red Irish Dragon on Feb 6, 2021 18:57:49 GMT
Naoki had actually been more welcoming of Kasumi’s help, her stubbornness being the final straw in pushing him over. He could identify with the need to do something, and now that Ryo had woken up things could settle. He had a million questions, of course, but surprisingly none of them came out, held in check as if giving Kasumi time to heal as well before overwhelming her. With dinner made, he went back to fetch Ryo, in part to test his stability by making him come into the kitchen.
Despite not feeling the pain of his injuries, Ryo was very aware of how stiff he was, and how bound up his injuries were. Naoki had had to help with a shirt, as one shoulder wasn’t open to moving as much as Ryo had assumed it would be, getting halfway stuck by the time the teenager had arrived. This time there were no reproaches for getting hurt, even though Ryo found it difficult to meet Naoki’s gaze, given how he seemed to wince every time his hand brushed against one of Ryo’s bandages. It had happened again… different cause, different factors… same result.
Having the shirt on made things far less awkward for Ryo as he walked into the kitchen after Naoki, knowing he didn’t have to worry about eyes traveling to the burn mark the Noroi had left. Ironically, his own mind wasn’t circling on his sacrifice for Kasumi, even though she was focused on the idea. It had been instinct, knowing only to get her out of harm’s way.
The stiff movements seemed odd, even to Ryo as he sat down at the counter, looking out over the mess that Naoki’s cooking style inevitably left before he cleaned up. There was a sense of knowing something was off, of being bound up and tight, but unable to identify it as being in pain. Naoki had gone back to the stove to start ladling out the ramen, even as he left Kasumi to finish heating up the gyoza.
Unlike Naoki, who clearly had a million questions on his mind as he’d pause momentarily while looking at Kasumi, Ryo only looked uncertainly at the two because he was the only one not helping with dinner. But he’d already been ordered to just sit, knowing that it came with a silent just focus on healing argument. It was the same that Masahiro had used, and it was that memory that kept him to his chair, murmuring thanks as the bowls were pushed over to the side of the counter with its stools.
Of course, Naoki stood as he ate on the cooking side of the counter, letting Kasumi sit and still have some space. The counter was big enough for three if squeezed in, and Ryo was just as likely to give up his seat if given half a chance. But at first they ate in silence, the brothers finally glancing at one another, seeming to come to the same conclusion.
Awkward.
“This tastes different,” Ryo suddenly commented, poking his ramen with his chopsticks. Naoki nodded, then nodded towards Kasumi. “She was able to identify that one herb of Sofu’s,” he replied, Ryo pausing. “You mean the one with the little leaves and…?” he asked, surprisingly knowing exactly which herb Naoki was referring to. But as the conversation went on, on something mundane and inconsequential, the mood lifted.
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Post by Kelathi on Feb 13, 2021 19:20:11 GMT
The atmosphere took a while to relax, the very air about them seeming tense, pregnant with unspoken questions. Even so, Kasumi made no move to ease it, at least, not by making any kind of enquiry. She was about as keen to speak about what happened as it seemed Ryo was. Therefore, she was relieved when the conversation became light-hearted, and jumped at the chance to keep it so.
“My guardian was adept with such herbs. He’d always find a way to add it.” Her eyes glazed fondly as she thought of Yuudai, clearly a happy recollection. “Whether the dish be sweet or savoury It didn’t matter, and the result always proved to be delicious.” She spoke, an amused smile on her face.
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Post by Red Irish Dragon on Mar 26, 2023 22:57:29 GMT
The way that Naoki and Ryo honed in on what Kasumi was saying, she might have been some great sage with words of wisdom to be taken down for future generations. It was easier to focus on that than to try to eventually broach the whole Karyuudo “thing.”
“Your guardian sounds a lot like Sofu,” Naoki replied with a wide grin, glancing over his shoulder. “He kept trying to teach us about all the different herbs in here, but gave up when Ryo managed to nearly set the kitchen on fire,” he began to explain, stopping only at his brother’s outburst. “That was one time!” Ryo retorted, but only provided fuel to Naoki’s case. “Yeah, because you never were allowed to make toast again.” The towel lobbed at him clipped the top of his head as he ducked, but Naoki still claimed it as a victory as Ryo couldn’t argue.
“So, who was your guardian then?” Ryo asked Kasumi after clearing his throat, Naoki grinning at the very obvious change in subject. However, given the similarity between Masahiro and how Kasumi described her guardian, there was genuine curiosity if there was any connection.
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